State v. Ragas

607 So. 2d 967, 1992 WL 310444
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 29, 1992
Docket92-KA-0342
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 607 So. 2d 967 (State v. Ragas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Ragas, 607 So. 2d 967, 1992 WL 310444 (La. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

607 So.2d 967 (1992)

STATE of Louisiana
v.
Ronald RAGAS.

No. 92-KA-0342.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Fourth Circuit.

October 29, 1992.
Writ Denied February 11, 1993.

*968 Byrne W. Dyer, III, Gretna, for appellant.

Before SCHOTT, C.J., LOBRANO and JONES, JJ.

LOBRANO, Judge.

The defendant, Ronald Ragas, was charged by bill of information with two counts of attempted molestation of a juvenile, violations of LSA-R.S. 14:(27)81.[1] A jury found the defendant guilty as charged on both counts. He was given suspended sentences of five years at hard labor on each count, to run concurrently. He was also sentenced to active probation for three years and ordered to pay court costs of $161.50 or serve an additional thirty days in jail. The special conditions of defendant's sentence include not having contact with the victim and paying $20.00 per month to the Department of Corrections, $300.00 to the Orleans Indigent Defender Program and $300.00 to the Judicial Expense Fund. Defendant now appeals his convictions and sentences. We reverse defendant's conviction on the first count, modify defendant's conviction on the second count by rendering a judgment of conviction on the lesser and included offense of attempted indecent behavior with a juvenile and remand this case for sentencing on defendant's modified judgment of conviction.

*969 The victim in this case is the niece of the defendant's wife. According to the victim, one day during the summer of 1989, when she was thirteen years old, she was on her way to a doctor's appointment but missed the bus she had planned to take. Because her aunt and uncle lived near the bus stop, she went to their house to wait on their porch for the next bus. The victim testified that the defendant was the only person at home and he told her to come into the house. When she went inside, he locked the door. As she heard the bus approaching, she attempted to leave but the defendant walked up behind her, put his arms around her and started kissing her on the neck. She was able to pull away from him and left to go catch the bus.

In May 1990, the victim, who was then fourteen years old, went to this same aunt and uncle's house to visit her cousin. When she arrived, only the defendant was home and he told her that her cousin was still at school but that she could wait in her cousin's bedroom. The victim testified that the defendant came into the bedroom and sat down next to her on the bed. After they talked awhile, the defendant decided to lie down on the bed and asked the victim to move closer to him. When she refused, the defendant pulled her on top of him. The victim stated that the defendant was "feeling on me." She managed to pull away from him and went into the kitchen. The defendant came up behind her in the kitchen and began hugging her, touching her and kissing her on the neck. She pulled away and left the house. When asked at trial which parts of her body the defendant had touched that day, the victim indicated that he had touched her breasts and buttocks.

The defendant denied ever kissing the victim or improperly touching her. He claims that he was never alone with the victim in his house during the summer of 1989. As for the victim's allegations regarding the May 1990 incident, the defendant claims that the victim came over uninvited and that he let her in the house where she stayed about eight or ten minutes. He testified he never touched her.

This case involved no physical evidence or eyewitnesses who could corroborate or refute the victim's story. The jury evaluated the credibility of the victim and the defendant and chose to believe the victim's version of these two incidents.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR ONE

The defendant argues that the trial court erred in allowing irrelevant evidence and improper argument by the State without adequate admonishment to the jury. Specifically, the defendant claims that he was prejudiced by the State's references to the victim's alleged suicide attempt several weeks after the second incident.

The record reflects that each time the defense objected to questions or comments by the State regarding the victim's alleged suicide attempt, these objections were sustained by the trial court. Furthermore, the trial judge admonished the jury to disregard the allegation of a suicide attempt.

Defendant claims that his objection to one of the State's questions about the suicide attempt was overruled. He cites a portion of the transcript of the State's examination of the victim in which the prosecutor asked her about her feelings when no action was taken after her mother and aunt were informed of the two incidents. That portion of the transcript states as follows:

"Q. Did anyone—how did you feel when nothing was done?
A. That nobody cared.
Q. What happened after that? Anything unusual happen in June that was related to this?
A. No. Me and my mother got in an argument, and I took pills, tried to kill myself.
BY MR. DYER:
Objection, your Honor. This is irrelevant to what occurred.
BY MR. SINHA:
Your honor, this—
BY THE COURT:
As to how she felt, I'll overrule that, allow the lady to answer, and she has."

The judge's remarks indicate that he was only allowing the victim to answer the State's question about how she felt when *970 nothing was done and was not allowing the victim's reference to her alleged suicide attempt.

Although the State's questions regarding the victim's alleged suicide attempt were improper, any possible prejudice was cured by the trial judge's sustaining of the defendant's objections and his admonition to the jury to disregard this allegation. See LSA-C.Cr.P. art. 771.

The defendant also argues that the trial judge erred in allowing testimony and argument regarding the victim's feelings after the alleged attempted molestation incidents. The trial judge's decision to allow testimony and argument on this issue was within his wide discretion and we find no error.

Defendant further claims that he was prejudiced during defense counsel's questioning of the victim when the prosecutor asked defense counsel not to intimidate or "glare" at this witness. The record shows that defense counsel did not object to these comments when they were made and therefore waived his right to challenge these statements on appeal. Furthermore, there is no showing that these statements were prejudicial to defendant's case.

This assignment of error is without merit.

ASSIGNMENT OF ERROR TWO

In this assignment, the defendant claims that the trial court erred in disallowing evidence of the victim's past sexual behavior. Defendant filed a motion prior to trial to have this evidence allowed but the motion was denied by the trial judge. The defense claims that this evidence should have been allowed because it would have shown that another possible reason existed for the alleged suicide attempt, i.e. that the victim was distraught when she learned that she was pregnant. At trial, the victim admitted that she is unmarried and has a child. Defendant wanted to use this evidence to refute the State's insinuation that the alleged suicide attempt was a result of the alleged attempted molestation by the defendant.

LSA-C.E. art.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
607 So. 2d 967, 1992 WL 310444, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ragas-lactapp-1992.